


The Undead Conjurer

by EdamamiTomoe



Category: Final Fantasy XIV, Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Comedy, Undeath, i'm really not sure what else to tag this as
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-09-13 06:28:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16887366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EdamamiTomoe/pseuds/EdamamiTomoe
Summary: The Conjurer's Guild in Gridania receives a rather strange new recruit - an undead girl named Kotori Minalinsky - and struggles to figure out just how a random undead girl with scant memories left in her can be casting magic.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Kotori Minalinsky is actually an alt I made recently and I kinda really got into doing her backstory and whatnot, so I ended up having the inspiration to write this. This actually started out as drabbles I shared in the FC server, but then I decided this has accumulated into a long enough piece to put on here.

"Brother E-Sumi-Yan, with all due respect, why did you think this was a good idea!?" The elezen conjurer exclaimed, his voice as hushed as his frustration would allow, "Did you not see that that girl is dead? How can we allow an undead to study the art of conjury!?"

"Please, could you keep it down!" Madelle whispered harshly, her eyes worryingly glancing over at the new recruit to the conjurer's guild standing over near the receptionist desk, "You know she could probably hear you, right?"

"No she can't," The conjurer continued to speak in his hushed barely hushed voice, "look at her, she's standing over there, stiff as a corpse, staring at the wall, not breathing or moving. She is a zombie, Madelle, a reanimated corpse. What is next, recruiting a voidsent to the guild!?"

"That's enough." E-Sumi-Yan finally said, his voice calm yet stern, "You should refrain from comparing her to a voidsent, as she is nothing of the sort. I am sure you can sense that her reanimation is not a product of black magic. Alive or not, if she should have the passion for the art of conjury, I see no reason to keep her from studying it."

"Actually..." Madelle added, "Mother Miounne said in her letter that she just really wanted to keep Ms. Minalinsky out of trouble, she isn't sure if she's actually an aspiring conjurer, or even an adventurer at all. She just didn't want an undead girl wandering around Gridania aimlessly, scaring everyone here and getting into trouble..."

"Then can't we just send her to the lancer's guild or archer's guild?" The disgruntled conjurer grumbled, still unsatisfied with the situation, "I'm sure she would be much more suited to become a wailer..."

"E-even if that's the case, we should not turn her away." E-Sumi-Yan insisted, flustered by the thought that he may have mistakened a girl with a cane for an aspiring conjurer, "Listen to the elementals, and hear that despite Kotori Minalinsky's predicament, they have saw great potential in her to become a talented healer. We must needs ensure that we do not waste someone's potential like this."

"Very well." The cranky elezen conjurer said, "But know that I am not the only one in this guild who is wholly uncomfortable with the thought of studying nature and life with an unnatural, lifeless corpse. Others like Braya and Edda feels the same way as I, so I certainly hope that this will not have become a mistake."

\---

"Pray tell, Kotori Minalinsky, what do you know of conjury?" E-Sumi-Yan asked the new recruit, Madelle by his side while they try to discern more about this unusual addition to the guild.

"What's conjury?"

"It's, uh..." E-Sumi-Yan was rather taken aback by the short and simple answer. it was strange that anyone in Gridania would have never heard of conjury before, but he chalked it up to her being dead, and possibly losing much memories of her surroundings. He decided instead to move onto another question, "I am curious, how have you came into possession of your cane? It looks very well crafted, as if meant for a conjurer of some experience. In fact, it looks almost... eerily familiar..."

"I found it." Kotori answered, her eyes still staring straight ahead, in E-Sumi-Yan's directly but not actually looking at him. "When I came to life, my left leg was badly injured. When I found a dead couple nearby, I took the man's cane and waddled back towards civilization."

"Your... leg? How severe was the injury?" Madelle was curious now, since there was not a single scratch on Kotori's leg.

"A fracture. My leg bone was poking out of my skin." Kotori answered plainly, as if reciting facts from a textbook, "By the time the wood wailer brought me to Gridania, it had healed."

It was a rather bizarre and troubling explanation that prompted E-Sumi-Yan to excuse himself and Madelle to speak in private. Keeping her voice low, Madelle said to E-Sumi-Yan, "A dead couple...? Do you think it might be the guild member who went missing a while ago...?"

"I... I fear that it may be." E-Sumi-Yan sighed, "It would explain the strange unease I have felt from the elementals in the past few days, right up until Kotori showed up."

"What does this mean though-? Is Kotori actually a murderer, who just forgot...?"

"Let us not jump to conclusions. I am sure there's more to the story that we simply have not uncovered yet." E-Sumi-Yan decided, "For now, let us return. We still have to discern whether or not conjury will be right for Kotori."

As the two returned though, they came to the rather surprising sight of Kotori with a piece of rock... no, a benign earth elemental, hovering above her opened palm, and a circle of baffled conjurers gawking at the strange feat accomplished by the undead, whom up until now, nobody believed to be capable of conjury. When the dead miqo'te noticed E-Sumi-Yan's and Madelle's return, she simply stared blankly at them, earth elemental in hand, and asked, "Is this conjury?"

\---

Over the course of the next few weeks, the undead recruit ended up becoming a figure of great interest for the rest of the guild, as uncomfortable as most of the members still were with the unsettling way in which she carried herself. Being an absolute anomaly in the conjurer’s guild made the strange staring dead fish eyes and the perpetual faint smell of rot a bit easier to handle, although the latter problem was still addressed by fellow members like Edda who tried to remedy the issue by gifting her with floral perfumes. 

The two that had undoubtedly developed the most interest in studying Kotori’s strange methods of handling magic were the guildmaster himself and Madelle, taking the time out of their day to observe the undead conjurer’s performance as she tackled assignments, such as handling the rampaging treants threatening the Honey Yard, which she was handling very well.

“I still find her progress in practicing the art of conjury to be rather alarming.” E-Sumi-Yan commented as he observed Kotori take down rampaging treants, “She has shown growth and development far faster than the average apprentice, even outpacing Edda by malms, despite having joined fairly soon after her.”

“It’s true, and she uses conjury in a really odd manner.” Madelle pointed out, as Kotori thinned the rampaging treants’ number down to one, “She herself is so severely lacking in aetheric lifeforce, which is to be expected, as she is an undead, and yet she seems to draw upon the aether around her so effortlessly, as if she’s simply inhaling to breathe…” 

“I think I may have figured out how she is able to do this.” E-Sumi-Yan said, getting a bit worried that Kotori just healed the last treant she was about to kill, just before returning to strike it with stone magic, “Your description of her drawing aether from her surroundings as ‘inhaling’ may very well be correct. Conjury as practiced in our guild normally involves calling upon the elements to be concentrated and shaped into practical spells. However, this is not what Kotori is doing. As her physical vessel severely lacks in aether, it provides a lot of empty physical space for aether to occupy, so what she is doing to cast spells is simply drawing nearby elemental aether into her nigh empty vessel, and then expelling it in the form of a spell as if it is her own innate aether, using her own body as a conduit.” 

“In other words…” Madelle slowly pieced together E-Sumi-Yan’s explanation, as she also watched worriedly Kotori healing the treant once again before returning to bullying it with spells, “Kotori more or less practices conjury as a thaumaturge would practice thaumaturgy?”

“Something of the sort, yes.” The guildmaster was as excited about this epiphany as he was increasingly concerned about the undead conjurer’s unnecessary torment of the treant, “This would explain why she is able to cast spells with such potency and efficiency, her physical body performs just as our staves in weaving magic, her own staff only further amplifies its effects.”

“But guildmaster, is that not dangerous?” Madelle asked, “Our tradition instructs us to practice conjury in this way because it is the best way for us to maintain balance in the delicate ecosystem of the Black Shroud, would her method not disrupt this balance and bring about ruinous change?”

“It certainly does have that potential.” E-Sumi-Yan agreed, his thought formulated independently of his observance of Kotori casting Raise on the poor treant after she accidentally killed it, just so she can strike at it with stone magic again, “If she continues to use magic carelessly, inhaling untainted aether and dispelling destructive power, it could most definitely be disastrous for Gridania. But on the flipside, her unique disposition has also yielded the possibility of being an agent of great healing, as she can so easily draw in corrupted aether and expel it in the form of healing and order. What will be important for us to do will be to guide her in the right direction, and prevent her unusual gift from being misused for the perpetuation of chaos.”

“You are absolutely right.” Madelle responded, although at this point her attention has more or less been fully captivated by Kotori once again healing the treant just before it died, “Just… look at her. I don’t believe I have ever saw her smile like that until… err, now…”

“Y-yeah…” The guildmaster frowned, readying his staff to intervene on behalf of the poor treant that had most definitely by this point lost all desire to cause havoc, “Looks like we are going to have to really work with her on her… behavioural issues…”


	2. The Undead White Mage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As E-Sumi-Yan's desperate measures to set the undead conjurer straight start backfiring, he starts seeking new mentors to guide Kotori.

"I am glad to hear news that Kotori was a great asset to the party that ventured into Satasha, but..." Madelle furrowed her brows just as a concerned mother would, "...look at her! She's dressed like one of Gegeruju's dancers from Costa del Sol, and she's got knives!"

Braya agreed, as the two looked on at the undead conjurer tossing a knife up and down and occasionally cutting her own hand without bleeding one bit, "Maybe it was a bad idea to send her out to La Noscea, we should have realized that the unsavoury folks there would be a bad influence on her. I shudder to think what lowly rogues she may have come to affiliate with..."

"I-I am sure we are jumping to conclusions and judging her unfairly." E-Sumi-Yan said, very clearly worried as well he may have made yet another mistake, "This was an opportunity both to let her explore Eorzea and to peel suspicious eyes in the guild away from her. She has very few friends, after all, ever since Edda left to go adventuring with her newly wedded husband..."

"I do hope that this opportunity was used for the better, and not the worse, guildmaster..." Madelle sighed, watching the Taffeta-clad undead earn confused stares of disgust or desire from her fellow guild members, "Let's at least just... find something to cover her up so she isn't such a distraction to others."

\---

"Okay, we need an intervention." Madelle says firmly, her eyes trained upon the knife-tossing zombie in the conjurer's guild and her arms crossed. 

"I agree. I... concede in believing that my efforts to provide Kotori a chance at broadening her opportunities to use her healing powers for good have caused more harm than good." E-Sumi-Yan finally admits in defeat, watching a nervous Braya asking the undead rogue to put away her knives while she's in the Stillglade Fane. At least said rogue is dressed a lot more modestly now, rather than the taffeta outfit she had on when she first returned from La Noscea. 

"That's right." Madelle sighs as she softens her tone with the guildmaster, "I understand you wanted Kotori to be able to use her healing for good with strangers she meet by sending her off with an adventuring party into Copperbell Mines, but we can't ignore her request to resettle in Ul'dah and learn black magic. We have to direct her in a less destructive path."

"It is hard though to imagine what that path might be, when she has already risen to the pinnacle amongst her peers in the art of conjury..." E-Sumi-Yan ponders, and then hesitantly suggests, "Unless... unless we allow her to explore white magic...?"

\---

“Nope.”  
“No way.”

Raya-o-Senna’s and A-Ruhn-Senna’s decision on allowing Kotori to study the art of white magic was unanimous for once, much to the dismay of E-Sumi-Yan. He knew that despite his praises and recommendation of the zombie as a healer would immediately be forgotten once the two Seedseers actually meet the undead in person and see for themselves how scantily clad the zombie is.

“E-Sumi-Yan, I have known you for a long time now, and I have always held you to high standards. I had expected better from you, you know.” Raya-o-Senna says, her arms crossed, not making any efforts to hide her disdain for the taffeta-clad undead gazing off into the distance as she always does. “So it sounds like the rumours about her promiscuity really is true then? Is this how you allow her to dress around the guild?”

“N-No, I… please allow me the chance to explain myself. I… I know this may seem like a very poor first impression, so please allow me to salvage this.” E-Sumi-Yan says, flustered beyond belief as his cheeks flushed and his palms sweated. “It’s… it’s true, her behaviour is very… inappropriate, but please rest assured that I do not in fact condone her to dress like that when she is in the guild. I… I hadn’t realized she would put that lewd getup on again before coming to meet you, but I suppose she must have found a way around the ‘cover up whilst in guild’ rule I imposed upon her…”

“...So it is not by your will that she dresses like a Costa del Sol dancer?” Raya-o-Senna says cautiously, still seeming to harbor doubt for the conjurer, and nudges her brother hard as she notices his gaze drifting towards the undead. “Very well. I will take your word for it. But that still leaves the matter of accepting an undead into learning white magic.”

“Yes, that’s right.” A-Ruhn-Senna snaps to attention as soon as he’s managed to tear his bang-covered gaze from Kotori’s attire, “You may have praised her to be an excellent conjurer in your letter of recommendation, but she is still a zombie! An undead! It would be an unprecedented move to allow her to study as our pupil! Why did you even think it a good idea to recommend her in the first place?”

“A-Ruhn-Senna!” Raya-o-Senna snaps, giving her brother a look, “I am just as upset as you are but please do watch your tone.”

“I do have a good reason beyond her being talented in the art of conjury, I promise.” E-Sumi-Yan says, lowering his voice as his eyes quickly peer at Kotori, making sure she is out of earshot, “I’m… I am simply worried that she might misuse a particular talent with which she has been endowed, that talent being her undeath. Rather than manipulating the aether around her, she simply draws it into her body, using her body as a conduit and expelling the aether in the form of a spell, much like a thaumaturge might cast a spell. And that is of concern because she has already started taking an interest in learning thaumaturgy!”

“And why is that particularly an issue?” Raya-o-Senna asks inquisitively, sensing that the conjurer guildmaster has yet to actually get to his point, “Why should we keep her from pursuing her own path?”

“Because it’s…” E-Sumi-Yan stops himself as he realizes he’s getting flustered again, and takes another moment to regather his thoughts before he explains, “Her method of spellcasting is powerful, but it is also potentially destructive. As she draws the aether around her and expels it, she is transforming that aether. If she were to learn thaumaturgy, that would mean she can potentially draw in untainted aether and expel it in a destructive force. Do you understand me? She can potentially bring great danger to the Twelveswood just by practicing thaumaturgy, because she would be corrupting the aether around her whenever she cast spells.”

“That’s…! That’s purely conjecture still!” A-Ruhn-Senna spouts, simply wanting to come up with another excuse to deny Kotori’s entrance into the ranks of the white mage.

“No, you are right, I can see wherein lies your concerns.” Raya-o-Senna says, a bit calmer now as she considers what E-Sumi-Yan has told her, “Still, why bring her to us? Are you nervous you might not be able to contain her within the conjurer’s guild for long enough that would deter her interest in thaumaturgy?”

“I… yes, that is part of it.” E-Sumi-Yan explains, his eyes darting over to Kotori every once in a while to make sure that she is still out of earshot. “Pursuing a new discipline and new training would definitely keep her preoccupied for enough time. But most importantly, I want to put her talent to good use. To positive use. If she can learn white magic, it would mean that she would be able to draw in corrupted aether, tainted aether, and expel it in a peaceful healing spell. She can be of great use in restoring order to the Black Shroud if we guide her along the right path and provide her the opportunity to do so.”

“I see… “ Raya-o-Senna seems satisfied with this explanation, and nods, “Very well, I will consent to taking Kotori Minalinsky as my pupil in the study of white magic, then. Honestly, you should have just stated your intentions outright from the start.”

“S-sister? You speak madness-!” A-Ruhn-Senna seems shocked, even though his eyes are not visible with how much his hair covers his face, “You’re not going to drag me into training the undead, are you!? Ugh, first we allow an outsider to join us in our work, now an undead...”

Angered by her brother’s obstinance, Raya-o-Senna steps forward and glares at him, saying forcefully, “Do not bring that up with me, brother, when you know full well that adventurer was chosen by A-Towa-Cant himself! Besides, has E-Sumi-Yan not made a strong enough case as to why we should once again divert from tradition in favour of maintaining harmony in the Twelveswood?”

“R-raya, you don’t have to go that far to… defend my case…” E-Sumi-Yan started, but then trails off, as he awkwardly realizes this may be something better left to the siblings to talk out between themselves.

“Besides, I know the way you look at her! Do not pretend for a moment you aren’t interested in keeping the undead around, if not only to ogle!” Raya-o-Senna drags out the truth out of her brother, much to his embarrassment and shock.

“S-sister! Th-that’s… that’s not…” A-Ruhn-Senna’s cheeks as red as his hair now, he shrinks back and looks down, even making E-Sumi-Yan feel bad for him now. He is left without words to defend himself.

“That’s what I thought!” Raya-o-Senna huffs, and backs off, “Regardless of your cooperation, I will be taking Kotori Minalinsky as my pupil. Our duty as the Seedseers is to preserve the Twelveswood, remember? And if preventing a potent undead from bringing it destruction and providing her the means to cure the corrupted aether is part of it, then it is an obligation we must take on!”

“I… um, I’m very glad to hear your decision, and I thank you for your willingness to do this unusual request for me.” E-Sumi-Yan stutters, feeling as though he has overstayed his welcome at this point, “I hope that my most talented student will be cooperative with your instruction, and show great strides in progress towards the path of healing, rather than that of destruction…”

“Of course.” Raya-o-Senna, “You are a friend after all, and you have brought a valid concern to us. We will ensure that she is not led astray.”

She peers once again at the zombie, dressed in far too little and attracting her brother’s attention far too much, and back to E-Sumi-Yan again. With a sigh, she says, “And hopefully, I will get her to dress more decently as well. At the very least around my brother.”

\---

“K-Kotori! This is… this is unacceptable!”

The surprisingly obedient undead student who usually complied with the dress code Raya-o-Senna has imposed upon her, much to the latter’s surprise, has returned from her pilgrimage clad in clothes even skimpier than her usual banned taffeta outfit. While it is true that she has on the four pieces of healer’s gear she was provided -- healer’s circlet, healer’s gloves, healer’s boots, and healer’s culottes -- rather than covering up her culottes with a modest robe as the Seedseers have expected of any normal person who knows that the culottes aren’t meant to be seen by others, Kotori has on her taffeta shawl. This leaves the microskirt-like culottes exposed, barely able to cover even her smallclothes underneath. 

“I thought I made it perfectly clear that you… that you are not supposed to wear any piece of the taffeta outfit again!” Raya-o-Senna yells, her cheeks flushed from having witnessed such an indecent sight as she protectively shields her brother from having to see this, as though his bangs aren’t already enough to shield his eyes. “I understand that… that we do not have a spare robe to provide you, but… but why would you don that obscene shawl again, especially as you return from a pilgrimage-!?”

“Th-this is… such an insult to the Padjali tradition…” A-Ruhn-Senna whimpers, as he strains himself keeping his eyes off the undead he had come to respect as a fellow white mage. 

“I think it looks nice.” Kotori responds bluntly, not seeming remotely bothered by the Seedseers’ reaction to her incredibly promiscuous outfit, “I find enjoyment out of wearing skimpy clothes. It makes me an attractive zombie and confuses others.”

“Wh-what…!?” Raya-o-Senna barely takes a moment to process the undead’s words before lashing out, “Kotori-! You are a white mage! You are not supposed to… your attire is meant to serve function, not… not aesthetics! You do understand that your job as a white mage is to heal the realm, not… not tempt and confuse others, right!?”

“I know.” The zombie seems completely unaffected by the padjal’s frustration at her promiscuity, and continues, “I am not deliberately trying to tempt. If others are tempted, that is their business. I can still perform my duties dressed like this.”

“Th-that’s… that’s…”

“I think I may get the healer’s attire augmented in Mor Dhona.” Kotori says, looking over herself, “If I can dye the culottes apple green, it would match my shawl. Yes. I think that is a good idea.”

Raya-o-Senna simply facepalms, her brother turning his back to the situation altogether to avert his gaze, and she mumbles to herself, “I… do not blame E-Sumi-Yan for turning his student over to us. To think, this is what he contends with on a regular basis…”


End file.
